| For medical practitioners and the general public - Cholesterol Journal Article Catalog. |
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| Concentrations of calcium, magnesium, zinc and copper in relation to free fatty acids and cholesterol in serum of atherosclerotic men Iskra, M., J. Patelski, et al. (1993), J Trace Elem Electrolytes Health Dis 7(3): 185-8. Abstract: The concentrations of calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, free fatty acids and total, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol in the sera of atherosclerotic men were determined. The subjects with femoral atherosclerosis were divided into two age groups: 35-59 years (N = 8, I) and 60-75 years (N = 8, II). The LDL-cholesterol concentration was increased in the elderly atherosclerotic group. Lower concentrations of calcium and magnesium, a higher concentration of copper and decreased Ca/Cu, Mg/Zn, Mg/Cu and Zn/Cu ratios were found in atherosclerosis I as compared to controls of the same age. High and positive correlations for Cu vs. total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol (r > 0.89), but low correlation for Cu vs. HDL-cholesterol (r = 0.61) were calculated in atherosclerosis I, and negative correlations for free fatty acids vs. Ca and Mg (-r > 0.77) in atherosclerosis II. |
| Concentrations of cholesterol oxidation products in raw, heat-processed and frozen-stored meat of broiler chickens fed diets differing in the type of fat and vitamin E concentrations Eder, K., G. Grunthal, et al. (2005), Br J Nutr 93(5): 633-43. Abstract: The present study was performed to investigate the effect of dietary fat and vitamin E on concentrations of cholesterol oxidation products (COP) in broiler muscle. A total of 144 1-d-old broiler chicks were fed diets with either palm oil, soyabean oil or linseed oil and vitamin E concentrations of 20, 40 or 200 mg/kg for 35 d. COP concentrations were analysed in raw, heat-processed (180 degrees C, 20 min) and frozen-stored (-20 degrees C, 6 months) breast and thigh muscles. COP concentrations were influenced by dietary vitamin E concentration, dietary fat, treatment and type of muscle (P<0.001). Increasing the dietary vitamin E concentration generally reduced the concentration of COP. This effect was strongest in broilers fed linseed oil and weakest in broilers fed palm oil; the effect of vitamin E was also stronger in heated muscles than in raw or frozen-stored muscles. Moreover, the concentration of COP in thigh muscle was more strongly influenced by dietary vitamin E than that in breast muscle. COP concentrations in muscles were on average highest in broilers fed linseed oil and lowest in broilers fed palm oil, but the effect of the dietary fat also depended on the vitamin E concentration, the treatment and the type of muscle. In conclusion, our study shows that dietary fat and vitamin E influence the concentrations of total COP in broiler muscle. However, the effects of these factors were not only influenced by interactions between each other, but also depended on the treatment of the muscle and the type of muscle. |
| Concentrations of inorganic elements in milk of sows selected for high and low serum cholesterol Park, Y. W., M. Kandeh, et al. (1994), J Anim Sci 72(6): 1399-402. Abstract: Comprehensive information on the composition of the whole spectrum of essential inorganic elements in sow milk is very limited. The objectives of this study were to measure concentrations of major and trace mineral elements in milk of third-generation sows selected for high (H) or low (L) serum cholesterol concentrations at 8 wk of age and to determine correlations between concentrations of milk cholesterol and major and trace mineral elements in sow milk. Twenty-one H and 21 L and 8 contemporary unselected control (U) Chester White x Landrace x Large White x Yorkshire crossbred sows were milked on d 20 or 21 of their first lactation. A standard corn and soybean meal-based diet was fed to all sows during pregnancy and lactation. There were no differences among the sow groups in milk concentrations of Ca, K, Mg, Na, and P, indicating that the genetic selection for serum cholesterol did not affect major mineral contents of the milk. Concentration of S in milk of the H sows was significantly (P <.05) higher than that of the U sows. Effects of genetic group were significant for concentrations of B, Al, Cu, and Mn in the milk, but not for Mo and Zn concentrations. Milk cholesterol concentration was negatively correlated with milk Al (P <.05), B (P <.01), and Mn (P <.05) for pooled data; there was no relationship between milk cholesterol concentration and that of other mineral elements. |
| Concentrations of serum cholesterol in Spanish children: results of a study on the isle of Menorca Vallescar, R., A. Arias, et al. (1991), Med Clin (Barc) 97(10): 361-5. Abstract: BACKGROUND: The little knowledge about the distribution of total cholesterol (TC) in childhood and adolescence in Spain, makes the planification of preventive measures for cardiovascular diseases difficult. The aim of this study is to determinate these values in the island of Menorca. METHODS: A sample of 1,062 boys and girls 6 to 18 years of age was studied. Blood samples were obtained by venipuncture and were analyzed by the enzymatic techniques of cholesterol-esterase, cholesterol-oxidase, and peroxidase. RESULTS: Boys showed lower mean TC values than girls in almost all age groups. In both sexes, a descending phase was observed in the TC by age curve at the beginning of the adolescence. TC values above 5.17 mmol/l (200 mg/dl) were recorded for 7% of participants, being this proportion lower than the value found in the Spanish study of Fuenlabrada (13%). CONCLUSIONS: Results obtained are compared with other national and international studies. The values of this study rank an intermediate position between the highest mean TC values registered in Norway and the lowest registered in Israel. |
| Conceptual evolution regarding the pathogenesis of biliary lithiasis due to cholesterol calculi Rigotti, A., J. F. Miquel, et al. (1991), Rev Med Chil 119(3): 312-20. Abstract: In the recent 5 years, several important conceptual changes in the understanding of cholesterol gallstone formation have occurred. This article discusses the molecular basis of the disease, as we understand it today. The discovery of a vesicular carrier of biliary lipids and the metabolic regulation of biliary cholesterol secretion have markedly modified our understanding of the pathogenesis of cholelithiasis, giving more emphasis to molecular and cell biology aspects, rather than to physicochemistry, as occurred in the late seventies (micellar theory). The critical step in gallstone formation is cholesterol crystallization and it occurs after vesicle aggregation and fusion. This process is probably dependent of hepatic glycoproteins secreted into bile, presumably associated to the vesicular carrier of biliary cholesterol. Risk factors such as sex, obesity, sexual hormones, and diet seem to modify either biliary cholesterol secretion, and/or nucleation (crystallization) in the gallbladder, and/or gallbladder motility. It seems most likely that gallstones is a multifactorial disease, dependent of an interactions between environmental and genetic, or ethnic, factors. |
| Concerning: Devuyst G, Bogousslavsky I. Cholesterol and risk of cerebrovascular accidant: a role for statins? Koch, H. J., P. Hau, et al. (2000), Schweiz Med Wochenschr 130(48): 1863-4. |
| Concomitants of asymptomatic retinal cholesterol emboli Bruno, A., P. W. Russell, et al. (1992), Stroke 23(6): 900-2. Abstract: BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Asymptomatic retinal cholesterol emboli are sometimes encountered on ophthalmoscopic examination. They are associated with decreased survival, but their clinical significance is not fully known. We sought to determine which vascular risk factors are associated with such emboli. METHODS: We studied 70 consecutive men (55-84 years old) with asymptomatic retinal cholesterol emboli diagnosed in an eye clinic. Twenty-one men (57-78 years old) from the same eye clinic without retinal emboli or retinal ischemic events were randomly selected as control subjects. We determined vascular risk factors, presence of ischemic heart disease, and extracranial carotid artery disease. RESULTS: Patients had a higher prevalence of hypertension, smoked more, and had a higher prevalence of heterogeneous or echolucent carotid plaques on either side than did control subjects (p less than 0.001 for all three factors). Patients also had a higher prevalence of carotid artery stenosis greater than or equal to 50% on either side and a higher prevalence of ischemic heart disease than did control subjects, but these did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.06 and p = 0.08, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that hypertension and cigarette smoking may be important in the pathogenesis of asymptomatic retinal cholesterol emboli and that these emboli indicate systemic atherosclerosis rather than ipsilateral carotid artery stenosis. |
| Concordance of diet with the recommended cholesterol lowering diet in patients with coronary heart disease Erkkila, A. T., E. S. Sarkkinen, et al. (1998), Eur J Clin Nutr 52(4): 279-85. Abstract: OBJECTIVE: The aim was to examine the concordance of diet with the recommended cholesterol lowering diet in Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) patients receiving usual care. DESIGN: CHD patients were selected for a survey from hospital records at least six months after hospitalization. Four patient groups divided according to the severity of disease were examined in cross-sectional setting. Food records and fatty acid composition of serum lipids were used to assess dietary intake. SUBJECTS: The study population consisted of 109 patients with coronary bypass grafting, 106 patients with balloon angioplasty, 101 patients with acute myocardial infarction and 99 patients with acute myocardial ischemia. RESULTS: Concordance of the diet with the cholesterol lowering diet was similar in the patient groups. One third of the patients achieved the recommended fat intake and only one fourth achieved the recommended saturated fat intake. Concordance was better in the patients who also used lipid lowering drugs, but previous myocardial infarction did not affect dietary intake of fat and saturated fat. Diabetic or obese patients tended to have a higher intake of saturated fat. Myristic acid in cholesterol esters, triglycerides and phospholipids and also palmitic and linoleic acids in triglycerides were markers of dietary saturated fat intake. CONCLUSIONS: Concordance of the diet with the recommended cholesterol lowering diet in CHD patients was moderate. Concordance was not affected by disease severity or previous myocardial infarction and was slightly worse in CHD patients who had diabetes or were obese or did not use lipid lowering drugs. |
| Concordance of the scoring system for controlling the serum levels of cholesterol and fat Nacif Mde, A., E. S. Abreu, et al. (2004), Arq Bras Cardiol 82(5): 459-2, 455-8. Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the comprehension of the scoring system for controlling the serum levels of cholesterol and fat as an instrument of dietary intervention for hypercholesterolemic patients. METHODS: The study comprised 153 individuals of both sexes, with ages ranging from 20 to 65 years, who sought medical care in a hospital or in a basic health unit. They were divided into the following 3 groups: hypercholesterolemic individuals, individuals with no diagnosis of hypercholesterolemia, and health care professionals. A 24-hour recall was used with each individual, who applied the cholesterol/saturated-fat index to their diets, consulting the scoring system. The researcher confirmed the calculation of each participant, considering her calculation as the a reference pattern. Understanding of the system was assessed through comparison between the reference pattern and the data obtained by the interviewees, using the intraclass correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The patients without a diagnosis of hypercholesterolemia obtained a high correlation in all meals. The morning and afternoon snacks and supper were the meals with the greatest correlation (r = 1). In hypercholesterolemic individuals, supper was the meal with the greatest concordance with the reference score (r = 1), and the health care professionals obtained a correlation coefficient of 1 in all meals, except lunch (r = 0.99). CONCLUSION: The scoring system was fast, simple, and easy to be understood and accepted by the population studied. |
| Concordance/discordance between plasma apolipoprotein B levels and the cholesterol indexes of atherosclerotic risk Sniderman, A. D., A. C. St-Pierre, et al. (2003), Am J Cardiol 91(10): 1173-7. Abstract: The objective of the present study was to examine concordance/discordance among 4 atherogenic indexes of cardiovascular risk: plasma total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB). Analyses were conducted in a cohort of 2,103 men without coronary artery disease (CAD) at the onset of the Quebec Cardiovascular Study. Although there were strong and highly significant correlations among the 4 risk indexes (0.78 < r < 0.97), only 50% of all subjects had concordant apoB and LDL cholesterol levels (i.e., values that fell into the same quintile of the population distribution). Moreover, concordance/discordance was not the same throughout the range of both variables; it was greater at the extremes of their respective distributions (65%), but significantly less in the midpoints (<40%). ApoB appeared to be more concordant with non-HDL cholesterol than with LDL cholesterol, although >1/3 of all subjects had discordant levels. Kappa analysis confirmed that there was only fair agreement between apoB and total or LDL cholesterol (0.38 and 0.36, respectively) and only moderate agreement between non-HDL cholesterol and apoB (0.47). Finally, a significant proportion of subjects (528 of 2,103) who had disproportionately higher apoB levels than would have been predicted based on their LDL cholesterol concentrations was more obese and manifested several features of the metabolic syndrome. They also had a significantly increased cardiovascular risk. In summary, plasma apoB and the various cholesterol indexes are complementary rather than competitive indexes of atherosclerotic risk and provide further evidence as to why measurement of apoB should be part of a standard lipoprotein assessment of CAD risk. |
| Concurrent increase of cholesterol, sphingomyelin and glucosylceramide in the spleen from non-neurologic Niemann-Pick type C patients but also patients possibly affected with other lipid trafficking disorders Harzer, K., G. Massenkeil, et al. (2003), FEBS Lett 537(1-3): 177-81. Abstract: Niemann-Pick type C disease (NPC) is a neurovisceral (or, extremely rarely, only visceral) lipidosis caused by mutations in the NPC1 gene or, in a few patients, the HE1 gene, which encode sterol regulating proteins. NPC is characterised by a complex lipid anomaly including a disturbed cellular trafficking of cholesterol but also multi-lipid storage in visceral organs and brain. Lipids were studied using conventional methods in enlarged spleens that had been removed from five patients for different therapeutic and diagnostic reasons and found to have microscopic signs of lysosomal storage disease not suspected clinically. The spleen lipid findings with a concurrent accumulation of cholesterol, sphingomyelin and glucosylceramide (Acc-CSG) allowed us to suggest NPC diagnoses for these patients, who were free of neurologic symptoms. From two patients no material for confirmatory studies was available, but in two other patients NPC diagnoses could be confirmed with the filipin cytochemical cholesterol assay and NPC1 gene analysis, respectively. However, these tests and also HE1 gene analysis were negative in a third patient. Since the Acc-CSG lipid pattern seems to indicate a multi-lipid trafficking defect rather than being highly specific for NPC, this patient, if not affected with very atypical NPC, may be a candidate for a different lipid trafficking disorder. The Acc-CSG pattern was considered to be similar to the lipid pattern known for the lipid rafts, these functional cell structures being probably disorganised and accumulated in late endosomes and lysosomes of NPC cells. |
| Concurrent quantification of cellular cholesterol, cholesteryl esters and triglycerides in small biological samples. Reevaluation of thin layer chromatography using laser densitometry Asmis, R., E. Buhler, et al. (1997), J Chromatogr B Biomed Sci Appl 691(1): 59-66. Abstract: Absolute specificity and high accuracy is required for the quantitation of cholesterol, cholesteryl esters and triglycerides in small biological samples, particularly in a limited number of cells. Both can be achieved through thin-layer chromatography and molybdatophosphoric acid staining, while the shortcomings of traditional spot detection are overcome by laser densitometry. The major advantage of the proposed technique is the concurrent assay of nanogram quantities of cholesterol, cholesteryl esters and triglycerides. Our assay is at least ten-fold more sensitive than common thin-layer chromatography-based techniques and at least four-fold more sensitive than common enzymatic methods. The present low-cost assay is highly reproducible and may be particularly suitable for the routine lipid analysis of a 10% aliquot of relatively small tissue and cell samples, equivalent, for instance, to > or = 10(4) human monocytes. |
| Condensed complexes and the calorimetry of cholesterol-phospholipid bilayers Anderson, T. G. and H. M. McConnell (2001), Biophys J 81(5): 2774-85. Abstract: A recent thermodynamic model describes a reversible reaction between cholesterol (C) and phospholipid (P) to form a condensed complex C(nq)P(np). Here q and p are relatively prime integers used to define the stoichiometric composition, and n is a measure of cooperativity. The present study applies this model to the scanning calorimetry of binary mixtures of cholesterol and saturated phosphatidylcholines, especially work by McElhaney and collaborators. These mixtures generally show two heat capacity peaks, a sharp peak and a broad peak. The sharp heat absorption is largely due to the chain melting transition of pure phospholipid. In the present work the broad heat absorption is attributed to the thermal dissociation of complexes. The best fits of the model to the data require the complex formation to be highly cooperative, with cooperativity n = 12. Detailed comparisons are made between model calculations and calorimetric data. A number of unusual features of the data arise naturally in the model. The principal discrepancy between the calculations and experimental results is a spurious calculated heat absorption peak. This discrepancy is related to the reported relative magnitudes of the integrated broad and sharp heat absorption curves. |
| Condensed complexes of cholesterol and phospholipids McConnell, H. M. and A. Radhakrishnan (2003), Biochim Biophys Acta 1610(2): 159-73. Abstract: There is overwhelming evidence that lipid bilayer regions of animal cell membranes are in a liquid state. Quantitative models of these bilayer regions must then be models of liquids. These liquids are highly non-ideal. For example, it has been known for more than 75 years that mixtures of cholesterol and certain phospholipids undergo an area contraction or condensation in lipid monolayers at the air-water interface. In the past 3 years, a thermodynamic model of "condensed complexes" has been proposed to account for this non-ideal behavior. Here we give an overview of the model, its relation to other models, and to modern views of the properties of animal cell membranes. |
| Condensed complexes of cholesterol and phospholipids Radhakrishnan, A. and H. M. McConnell (1999), Biophys J 77(3): 1507-17. Abstract: Mixtures of dihydrocholesterol and phospholipids form immiscible liquids in monolayer membranes at the air-water interface under specified conditions of temperature and 2-dimensional pressure. In recent work it has been discovered that a number of these mixtures exhibit two upper miscibility critical points. Pairs of upper critical points can be accounted for by a theoretical model that implies the cooperative formation of molecular complexes of dihydrocholesterol and phospholipid molecules. These complexes are calculated to be present in the membranes both above and below the critical points. Below the critical points the complexes form a separate phase, whereas above the critical points the complexes are completely miscible with the other lipid components. The cooperativity of complex formation prompts the use of the terminology condensed complex. |
| Condensed complexes, rafts, and the chemical activity of cholesterol in membranes Radhakrishnan, A., T. G. Anderson, et al. (2000), Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 97(23): 12422-7. Abstract: Epifluorescence microscopy studies of mixtures of phospholipids and cholesterol at the air-water interface often exhibit coexisting liquid phases. The properties of these liquids point to the formation of "condensed complexes" between cholesterol and certain phospholipids, such as sphingomyelin. It is found that monolayers that form complexes can incorporate a low concentration of a ganglioside G(M1). This glycolipid is visualized by using a fluorescently labeled B subunit of cholera toxin. Three coexisting liquid phases are found by using this probe together with a fluorescent phospholipid probe. The three liquid phases are identified as a phospholipid-rich phase, a cholesterol-rich phase, and a condensed complex-rich phase. The cholera toxin B labeled ganglioside G(M1) is found exclusively in the condensed complex-rich phase. Condensed complexes are likely present in animal cell membranes, where they should facilitate the formation of specialized domains such as rafts. Condensed complexes also have a major effect in determining the chemical activity of cholesterol. It is suggested that this chemical activity plays an essential role in the regulation of cholesterol biosynthesis. Gradients in the chemical activity of cholesterol should likewise govern the rates and direction of intracellular intermembrane cholesterol transport. |
| Conditional disruption of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma gene in mice results in lowered expression of ABCA1, ABCG1, and apoE in macrophages and reduced cholesterol efflux Akiyama, T. E., S. Sakai, et al. (2002), Mol Cell Biol 22(8): 2607-19. Abstract: Disruption of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) gene causes embryonic lethality due to placental dysfunction. To circumvent this, a PPAR gamma conditional gene knockout mouse was produced by using the Cre-loxP system. The targeted allele, containing loxP sites flanking exon 2 of the PPAR gamma gene, was crossed into a transgenic mouse line expressing Cre recombinase under the control of the alpha/beta interferon-inducible (MX) promoter. Induction of the MX promoter by pIpC resulted in nearly complete deletion of the targeted exon, a corresponding loss of full-length PPAR gamma mRNA transcript and protein, and marked reductions in basal and troglitazone-stimulated expression of the genes encoding lipoprotein lipase, CD36, LXR alpha, and ABCG1 in thioglycolate-elicited peritoneal macrophages. Reductions in the basal levels of apolipoprotein E (apoE) mRNA in macrophages and apoE protein in total plasma and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were also observed in pIpC-treated PPAR gamma-MXCre(+) mice. Basal cholesterol efflux from cholesterol-loaded macrophages to HDL was significantly reduced after disruption of the PPAR gamma gene. Troglitazone selectively inhibited ABCA1 expression (while rosiglitazone, ciglitazone, and pioglitazone had little effect) and cholesterol efflux in both PPAR gamma-deficient and control macrophages, indicating that this drug can exert paradoxical effects on cholesterol homeostasis that are independent of PPAR gamma. Together, these data indicate that PPAR gamma plays a critical role in the regulation of cholesterol homeostasis by controlling the expression of a network of genes that mediate cholesterol efflux from cells and its transport in plasma. |
| Confirmation of defective cholesterol biosynthesis in 2 previously described adult sibs with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome De Die-Smulders, C., S. Van de Meer, et al. (1996), Genet Couns 7(2): 161-2. |
| Confirmed locus on chromosome 11p and candidate loci on 6q and 8p for the triglyceride and cholesterol traits of combined hyperlipidemia Naoumova, R. P., S. A. Bonney, et al. (2003), Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 23(11): 2070-7. Abstract: Background- Combined hyperlipidemia is a common disorder characterized by a highly atherogenic lipoprotein profile and increased risk of coronary heart disease. The etiology of the lipid abnormalities (increased serum cholesterol and triglyceride or either lipid alone) is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: We assembled 2 large cohorts of families with familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL) and performed disease and quantitative trait linkage analyses to evaluate the inheritance of the lipid abnormalities. Chromosomal regions 6q16.1-q16.3, 8p23.3-p22, and 11p14.1-q12.1 produced evidence for linkage to FCHL. Chromosomes 6 and 8 are newly identified candidate loci that may respectively contribute to the triglyceride (logarithm of odds LOD, 1.43; P=0.005) and cholesterol (LOD, 2.2; P=0.0007) components of this condition. The data for chromosome 11 readily fulfil the guidelines required for a confirmed linkage. The causative alleles may contribute to the inheritance of the cholesterol (LOD, 2.04 at 35.2 cM; P=0.0011) component of FCHL as well as the triglyceride trait (LOD, 2.7 at 48.7 cM; P=0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: Genetic analyses identify 2 potentially new loci for FCHL and provide important positional information for cloning the genes within the chromosome 11p14.1-q12.1 interval that contributes to the lipid abnormalities of this highly atherogenic disorder. |
| Confocal and probe microscopy to study gene transfection mediated by cationic liposomes with a cationic cholesterol derivative Nakanishi, M. and A. Noguchi (2001), Adv Drug Deliv Rev 52(3): 197-207. Abstract: A novel cationic cholesterol derivative with a hydroxyethyl amino head group (I) has been synthesized and used for liposome-mediated gene transfection. Cationic liposomes with derivative (I) greatly facilitated gene transfection into various cultured cells. The efficiency of transfection by liposomes with derivative (I) was much higher than that using liposomes with DC-chol (II) or lipofectine. Atomic force microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed the molecular mechanism of gene transfection by cationic liposomes. The results showed that at least two steps were involved in gene transfection mediated by cationic liposomes. One was endocytosis, where the liposome-DNA complex was internalized into target cells, and the other was membrane fusion between the liposome vectors and endosomes, where DNA transferred from the liposome to the nucleus. In addition we found that microtubules were involved in the intracellular dynamics of gene transfection. |